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The 66-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was removed from life support on a do-not-resuscitate-order after being rushed from his Malibu home to UCLA Santa Monica Hospital in cardiac arrest "in the early morning hours" on Monday, said Tony Dimitriades, his longtime manager.

Petty and the Heartbreakers had just completed a 40th anniversary tour last Monday following a trio of sold-out performances at the Hollywood Bowl (
see video above
) -- which totaled 53 shows in 24 states, including New Jersey (Prudential Center), Connecticut (Xfinity Center) and New York (Forest Hills, Hunter Mountain and Canandaigua).

He also had two solo shows planned for Nov. 8 and 9 at the tiny Manhattan nightclub, Iridium (capacity 180).

The Gainesville, FL native told Rolling Stone late last year that he thought this would be the group's last tour together.

"It's very likely we'll keep playing, but will we take on 50 shows in one tour? I don't think so," he said. "I'd be lying if I didn't say I was thinking this might be the last big one.

"We're all on the backside of our sixties. I have a granddaughter now I'd like to see as much as I can," Petty added. "I don't want to spend my life on the road.

"This tour will take me away for four months. With a little kid, that's a lot of time."

Petty, who released three solo albums and 13 albums with the Heartbreakers, was also part of one of recent musical history's biggest supergroup, the Traveling Wilburys along with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra.

He also was heavily involved in his own SiruusXM channel, Tom Petty Radio -- which included his "Tom Talks to Cool People" interview show featuring various music industry notables.